Title: Why Did You Lie
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 all the stars!
Book Description:
A journalist on the track of an old case attempts suicide.
An ordinary couple return from a house swap in the states to
find their home in disarray and their guests seemingly missing.
Four strangers struggle to find shelter on a windswept spike
of rock in the middle of a raging sea.
They have one thing in common: they all lied.
And someone is determined to punish them...
And someone is determined to punish them...
WHY DID YOU LIE is a terrifying tale of long-delayed
retribution from Iceland's Queen of Suspense.
My musings:
Yrsa S has done it again – I just can’t get enough of her
books! thank you for letting me finish off 2018 with another five-star read! Why Did You Lie delivered exactly the right balance of mystery, suspense
and spooky vibes, with an irresistible cast of engaging characters. I think
what makes these people so relatable are the small details Sigurdardottir
includes in the narrative –habits, gestures or actions of daily living that
make them really leap from the pages, without slowing down the story. A very
fine art indeed, and one that not many writers can pull off.
Why Did You Lie consists of three separate storylines, which
at first seem completely unrelated. There are the four people who are stranded
on a small island in the sea repairing lighthouse equipment, who come into
strive when inclement weather prevents their evacuation from this hostile
place. Then we learn of the ordinary couple who have just come back from a
holiday in the US only to discover that their house swap may have had some
unpleasant repercussions as their American houseguests seem to have vanished
into thin air. And last but not least we get to know Nina, a policewoman who
comes across some old case files whilst banished to tidy up the police
headquarters’ basement. I was utterly engaged with each and every storyline,
even though for ages I had no idea whatsoever how the author would bring them
all together. But she did – and she did it masterfully.
Fans of Sigurdardottir’s writing will appreciate her eye for
detail and her skill of recreating the cold, hostile atmosphere of an Icelandic
winter that lends itself so perfectly as the setting for a mystery. Whilst
there is no supernatural element as such in this book, the eerie setting was
enough to raise some goosebumps for me, and the characters’ fears provide an
ever-present air of menace and danger. It was the perfect book to chill out to
on my commute in a dark car, making my dash to the front door a bit hastier
than normal, which is always a good sign that the story has gotten under my
skin.
I can sum up my review by saying that – apart from the title
– I loved everything about this book. Hmm, yes, the title: not very catchy I
thought, and one that plagues the translation only, as in Icelandic it seems to
consist of just one mysterious word (mysterious considering I don’t speak
Icelandic – lol). To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have picked up the title if
I hadn’t known that the author always delivers a great story. If you have
thought the same, I must urge you to reconsider and pick this book up today. It
is one of the finest examples of Iceland Noir, and one I thoroughly enjoyed. I
am especially saddened to farewell Nina, whose character I felt very close to,
and whose fate I felt particularly invested in. As usual, Sigurdardottir doesn’t
shy away from including dark and serious themes into her novel, such as
suicide, sexual discrimination, child abuse, bereavement and more, which gives
the story a very contemporary feel and a depth lacking in many other books in
the genre. Anyone looking for an intelligent, well-written and utterly
addictive psychological thriller with an atmospheric setting, then this is the
perfect book for you!
No comments:
Post a Comment